


That Hero, Stress Baking

by KapptianKappa



Series: That Hero, How Spirited [8]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), POV Malon (Legend of Zelda), Stress Baking, Temporary Amnesia, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:41:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29822325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KapptianKappa/pseuds/KapptianKappa
Summary: In where Malon has a ghost in her kitchen, loses a whisk to said ghost, Time cries (like an idiot), Wild has a little bit of an existential crisis, Four is assaulted by constant headaches and Legend is freaking out more understandably compared to the others.
Relationships: Malon (Legend of Zelda)/Time (Linked Universe)
Series: That Hero, How Spirited [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2063562
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	That Hero, Stress Baking

Malon is in a bit of a stupor. 

Because- well-

There appears to be a ghost in her kitchen.

Now, this is not Malon’s first time dealing with supernatural beings deciding to waltz into her life- she married a time traveling man made to grow up too fast who previously lived in a fairy forest and was raised by a sentient tree. She had basically signed up for it.

The ghost seems to be rather vigorously whipping a bowl of cream. A fierce look of disappointment on his face and an even fiercer grip on her whisk. Malon can  _ see _ the handle of the whisk splintering in his grasp and Malon wonders if the ghost had known that the whisk he was using was Malon’s least favorite whisk on the verge of breaking. If so then thank you little ghost, you’re very polite compared to the others.

Malon had just woken up to cook breakfast for the gaggle of boys she was hosting upstairs, and this puts quite a stopper into her plans-

Though, by the looks of it, the ghost already has it handled. trays and trays of cupcakes and muffins alike adorn her countertops, cupcakes piped with the most immaculate piping Malon has seen. Red hibiscuses, lotus flowers, cacti, succulents- Malon would be horribly sad if they melted on the little ghost. Egg cartons lay open, eggs that she distinctly didn’t remember buying, and Malon has to give the spectre a reward for being the most considerate ghost to have ever haunt her.

Well, Malon can’t really be bothered to be paranoid and jumpy like the Links would, and Time will probably scold her for her so-called ‘recklessness’ later. Nevertheless, she slides into her kitchen and starts to work around the ghostie.

Malon decides on some simple fried eggs, bread, sausages and simmered fruit. She’ll cook some of the more decadent recipes she’s been wanting to try for lunch. Grabbing the eggs that as she guessed, are still there, she puts the pan on the stove and pours some oil into it.

She’s in the middle of frying a cheesey omelette for Wind when she starts some idle talk.

“What’s got you down in the dumps then?”, She asks casually.

“She can’t see me”

The ghost says petulantly, and peering over her shoulder she can see the ghostie pouting most adorably. 

“What are you doing?”, She asks whilst disguising a giggle at the ghost’s just- pinchable cheeks.

“Stress baking.”

Malon hums while dancing around the ghost to retrieve her bread.

“What are you making right now?”

“Pavlova.”

Malon raises an eyebrow.

“Never heard of it before! What’s it like?”

The ghost jiggles the now bowl of egg whites he was whipping.

“Sugar and eggs baked”

“Sounds intriguing!”

Malon sees just a sliver of a smile adorn the ghost’s face.

“I’ll pass some to you”

He says shyly.

It is then when Wild walks unheard down the stairs- lovely boy likes to help her with cooking- a blessing from above out of a legacy of terrible cooks. An uncharacteristic squeak of his foot dragging on the ground giving his position away. 

“Hello!-ooo-o...” Malon jovially greets him, before realizing that she has a ghost in her kitchen that Wild surely didn't know of.

_ ‘Are you aware that there’s another person in the kitchen right now?’ _

Wild asks with an utterly blank look on his face. Malon isn’t sure how she’s supposed to reply.

“Y-yes?”

.

.

.

Then, Wild’s face breaks out in a smile.

_ ‘That’s wonderful!’ _

* * *

Wild gives her the story, apparently the ghost in her kitchen was in fact, not dead (Malon  _ really _ thought he was dead- she isn’t sure if she believes Wild), was the newest member of the Links, and apparently had some sort of invisibility, mind-altering, memory tampering possibly curse put upon him. All the Links had forgotten about him except Wind, Twilight, Wild and now her- though she didn’t have any prior memory of him in the first place (and wasn't a Link).

Malon blinks.

Wait- that’s not quite right- when Time and the boys came back to the house didn’t they want to introduce a new member to her? But- she didn’t see anybody there with them-

How’d she forget?

Malon gives a look to the not-a-ghost ghost spooning out silky smooth egg whites onto lined trays and starts to see the gravity of the situation.

_ ‘Has he realized you can see him?’ _

Wild inquires and Malon has to break out of her trance.

“Haa- I think he was too occupied with “Stress baking” to really process who or what was happening around him”.

Malon looks at the new hero and watches as he gives the utmost attention to making his blobs of egg whites as circular as possible. Malon has to snicker a little, why are all the Links so  _ cute _ -

Then, she hears a droplet of water hit the floor boards. She turns and Wild is positively drooling in sight of the scrumptious baked goods.

Malon bonks his head a little.

“No desserts before lunch! It will ruin your appetite!”

Wild gives her the most betrayed look he can muster.

_ ‘But won’t they melt or go bad if we don’t eat them right now?’ _

Wild tries to negotiate.

“You can tuck them into your little slate of yours then”, Malon says primly.

Wild has the most scandalized look on his face.

Malon finds just a little joy in it.

* * *

Wild has moodily tucked the various sugary treats into his slate as Malon had instructed him. The cooking was mostly done, they were just waiting for the fruits to finish simmering. The newest hero has shoved his ‘pavlovas’ into the oven and was now chopping strawberries. Malon considers, for a moment, rescinding the ‘no eating the hero’s treats before lunch’ order.

Malon watches it all with a little smile across her face as the Links finally start trickling down the stairs. Time comes down first, just ghosting a little peck on her cheek and Malon wonders how he can still do these things to her heart after so long of knowing each other. She can see him mouth his good morning greeting before a flash of  _ panic _ streaks through his eyes. 

Time  _ whips  _ around a hand inching to his dagger-

Before tears start blubbering in his eyes.

Wild, in his panic of seeing Time cry, stuffs a cupcake with cacti frosting into his mouth. The cupcake sort of just hangs on the precipice of falling whilst Time just cries his heart out. Her husband stares at his hands appearing to have an existential crisis while Wild flutters around like a bird trapped in a cage.

Alright, time (hah) for an intervention.

Malon proceeds to  _ plunge  _ a hand elbow deep into what very much should have been the solid glass surface of the Sheikah Slate’s screen and emerges with 5 beautiful frosted cupcakes in her hand. Resisting the urge to stuff them into her mouth instead, she lays them on the table and guides her strange partner to a chair. 

Malon lets Time passively eat the cupcakes while slowly patting his back.

Malon knows that he likes to be as strong and ‘leader-like’ as possible in front of the boys, example, Wild’s jittering and general awkwardness, but Malon knows better. 

Her husband is  _ such _ a cry baby.

* * *

  
  


Next to descend is Twilight, bathed in the morning sun and the dapples of lights made by the trees outside and Malon is struck by the dissonance of it all. Upon reaching the end of the stairs he is met by the odd sight of Wild practically vibrating in his spot, the ‘fearsome’ leader Time sat sobbing eating cupcakes, Malon enjoying her tea and the previously-thought-to-be-a-ghost hero chucking strawberries into a jar. Taking the entire scene very well, he comes to lean next to Wild’s side, snatching an orange left over from it’s simmered counterpart and taking a bite out of it like an apple. 

Malon wonders if she should try that one day.

Warriors comes down after that- while Twilight is trying his very best to get information out of the jittery Wild. Malon sees his eyes widen just a touch upon laying his eyes on the new Link pouring a- black substance? Into the strawberries??

Malon  _ must _ get his tactics out of him.

Warriors strolls down to the kitchen, stylishly grabbing a stool from the living-room table on his turn into the kitchen, flinging it ever so slightly so that it drags a little on her very slick floors (she prides herself on them) and flipping his legs onto it. Malon has always heard of this ‘proper lady’ stereotype being thrown on her and she never really believed that it was something that was actually achievable, but it seems that Warriors had proved her very, very wrong.

Malon starts to believe that all those with that amount of grace are either blessed by Hylia herself or that they’ve made a deal with a devil.

Warriors, from his seat near the kitchen counter tops, suddenly finds a neatly bundled package slid into his out-streched hands. To her great surprise, it seems that the newest hero found some ability in him to focus on something but his stress baking, and was currently maybe probably somehow winking at Warriors without actually looking at him.

Four practically falls from the stairs after that, and as Malon had foresaw, chucked the first hot substance in a porcelain mug into his mouth. He doesn’t even flinch as he passes by the hero he wasn’t supposed to remember, and even lays what was probably meant to be a pat on the shoulder but ends up being a pat on his thigh.

Four joins her on the table, taking the seat directly adjacent to her, promptly joining the tea party.

Wind  _ bounds _ down the stairs, loud bokoblin stomps emitting from his steps. He beelines for the table full of food, probably to eat some if not for Malon’s reprimanding stare.

Wind instead joins Wild and Twilight, as if sensing a kinship with the rejected Wild. They start to  _ very _ (not) discreetly whisper about if the new hero was visible now.

“So is he finally coming back out?”

Wind asks Twilight in a distinctly  _ loud _ whisper.

Twilight replies in an equally loud whisper with an undertone of mirth.

“Everybody in the room thus far can see him.”

“See who?”

Hyrule groggily asks from the top of the steps. 

“Just come down and see!”, Wind tells him.

Whenever at the ranch the traveler loves to sleep in, relishing in the fact that he was safe to sleep without threat of ambush. Malon always can't help but indulge him.

Hyrule slowly slurps down the stairs like a slug, and Malon can see the expression on Wind’s face get more and more excited the longer it takes- Malon thinks it’s starting to become a little manic when Hyrule finally finishes the last step.

Rubbing at his eyes multiple times, Malon sees a whole gallery of emotions pass through his face as he tries to discern what he was seeing. He’s saved from having to work his brain too much in the morning by a flying package thrown at him. 

She thinks the ghost-like hero was trying to wink but for some reason the way he executed it made it look like he was just blinking with one eye.

Hyrule sighs, approaching the hero with a carefully calm expression.

“I'm going to try to channel as much Sky into me, so that I don’t freak out”, he states.

The hero nods as he brings out fluffy white clouds of egg whites out of the oven.

Slowly, deliberately, Hyrule takes calculated steps toward the hero, before grabbing him by the cheeks and  _ pulling _ him down to face his face.

“Please. Don’t. Do. That. Again.”, Hyrule orders with the most saccharine look on his face

The hero takes a concerning few seconds before replying with a distracted hum. Hyrule squishes the hero’s cheeks even harder.

Jolting, the hero focuses his eyes on Hyrule’s face.

“O-okay?”

Satisfied, Hyrule grabs 3 cups from the line of teas that Malon had set up and gracefully swaps out her’s and Four’s cups, before sitting down and taking out a book.

Malon has just added a new way of instilling fea- ehem, respect into the boys.

* * *

Wild has grabbed the last of the cooking sausages and has plated the simmered fruits, placing them on the table before taking a spot for himself. Time has stopped sobbing while eating cupcakes and was currently trying to reconcile with Wild who was severely unsettled by it all.

She’ll see how her husband does without her help.

Legend finally comes tumbling down the stairs- she was starting to get concerned because usually he was an early riser. Adorned with deep, dark bags, a haunted look in his eyes and generally disheveled- Malon was about to ask him what was the matter before his view lands directly on the new Hero.

His eyes widen- more so then he’d ever allow on a normal basis before  _ sprinting  _ to the hero and shaking him frantically on the shoulders.

“Never, NEVER do that AGAIN!”

Legend  _ yells  _ at him, and there’s a foggy misted glaze over the new hero’s eyes.

“Never…”

Legend says in an  _ utterly  _ **_destroyed_ ** voice.

There’s a blank look in the other’s eyes.

Legend  _ drags _ himself off from where he was desperately clutching the new hero’s shoulder with a defeated slant in his posture. Malon immediately stands up and goes over to Legend, carefully slinging an arm around him and leading him to where the rest were sitting. Wind quickly takes it from there, shoving cupcakes in his hands and instantly engaging him in a conversation. She doesn’t much pick up on the contents of said conversation but she assumes it was some very old practically ancient inside joke of the group because Legend instantly starts arguing back at Wind. 

Sky’s limp body comes down the stairs, marking that every Link was awake, forever holding the record for latest sleeper. 

“Good morning everybody”

Sky says groggily, still managing to retain his manners despite having just woken up. His words instantly cutting the tense atmosphere that Malon wasn’t aware was building. He lets out a little sound of surprise before blinking rapidly-

The new hero simply chucks another package at him, the skybound hero catching it out of pure instinct.

“Pardon?”, Sky asks, staring confoundedly at the package he catched.

“Eternity, do you think this will excuse you or something of the sort?”, Sky inquires with a scarily similar expression to Hyrule when he was ‘channeling Sky’.

  
  
  


“For goodness sake I was waiting for  _ somebody _ to  _ finally _ mention his name!”, Malon exclaims. 

Everybody turns to her, and Malon smiles sheepishly.

She thinks she’s justified in her outburst though! Honestly manners are always so lacking in the Links.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> AhhHHHHHHH- this chapter- so long- argh-
> 
> Not much to say except Legend be hardcore hearing windfish wooshes.
> 
> (Wild might be going through a bigger crisis in comparison though…)
> 
> Feeling like this footnote is a little short so have my chart of awakening.
> 
> Wild (Will occasionally be fought with for 1st place by Time and Four)  
> Time  
> Twilight  
> Warriors (Actually awake very early but takes a long time addressing his personal hygiene)  
> Four (Toss up)  
> Wind  
> Hyrule  
> Legend (usually 4th to wake up)  
> Sky 
> 
> Wait no, i take back that “not much to say” statement. Last part? With legend? Short? Such a miniscule amount of hits compared with the others in this series. Is it because of the word count? My warning? Is it ethical not to warn from now on or is it more honorable to warn and not get views from people who don’t like this content? Or is it okay because if said stranger who went into my fic ignorant might find that they actually really enjoy my content? AAAAHHHHHHHHHHH-


End file.
